The old Asian martial art Tai-Chi is becoming more popular in the West and is also a part of the Kushido Training program

What is Tai - Chi

Tai-Chi consists of many harmonious movements put together that flow into each other becoming the form. These movements are so varied that the whole body from the smallest joint to the biggest muscle gets worked without creating stress in the body. The ever changing patterns causes the student to stay spiritually/mentally on guard and improve the concentration. Practising the form calls for and trains the five basic qualities of slowness, tranquillity, uniformity, clarity and balance.

Tai-Chi is often practised slowly and therefore the body doesn’t become tense and hard but the muscles stay elastic. Tai-Chi is described as “meditation in movement”.

The health benefits of Tai - Chi

The conception between East and West differs considerably of how we can obtain and maintain a healthy body. We in the West believe that very hard training and building muscles will give us a healthy body but it often ends in stiffness and exhaustion. The effortless and softer movements of Tai-Chi actually improve strength and energy. This has led to Tai-Chi being practised in the East for its healing and therapeutic qualities. Slowly this knowledge has been adopted more and more in the West. Everyone can gain from practising Tai-Chi and many complaints can be alleviated. Apart from the relaxation of body and spirit Tai-Chi supports the digestion, soothes the nervous system and make the joints more pliable. It also promotes heart and circulation and revitalizes the skin.

Push Hands

Push Hands is a special partner exercise. It promotes the ability to perceive energy, to understand, to neutralize and to deliver energy. In other words the student learns to see the intentions of the partner to be able to react correctly.

Typical questions asked

Q: Can one learn Tai-Chi from a book?A: Through the flowing movements of Tai-Chi conscientiousness, patience and perseverance is promoted and this makes it difficult to learn from books. Books can however be useful to understand the theory and philosophy of Tai-Chi.

Q: Where does Tai-Chi come from?A: It is difficult to tell and there are many legends around the origin. It was known as a martial art in India 500 BC, although a Taoist priest Chang San Fen (1279–1368) was said to be the founder.The actual Tai-Chi Chen style, (oldest of the Tai-Chi styles) was founded by Chen Wang Ting (1587-1649. From that Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872) created the Yang style.

Q: When did Tai-Chi come to the West?A: Before the middle of the nineteen sixties Tai-Chi was hardly known outside China. During the Communistic revolution many Tai-Chi masters fled from the mainland to Taiwan and Hong Kong. One of these, Chen Man-Ching began to teach non-Chinese because he believed that it would improve the health of the whole world.

Q: Are there different Tai-Chi styles?A: The five main systems of Tai-Chi are: Yang, Chen, Tan, Wu, and Sun.